GMS kicked off their opening session of the 30th Annual Financial Management Summit by granting the wish of a young girl fighting a brain tumor. The opening session was referred to as “Waking up with Wishes” and honored the life and legacy of country music singer, Kevin Sharp (1970 – 2014). Mr. Sharp himself was a Make-A-Wish recipient at the age of 17 when he met music producer, David Foster. He went on to become very active with Make-A-Wish, even becoming a child’s wish later in his career. GMS was honored to sponsor the wish of 17 year old Kuhu, whose wish was to travel to Italy. Through the help and support of the GMS staff as well as the success of the company due to the loyalty of the GMS clients over the past 35 years, GMS was able to send Kuhu and her family on an unforgettable trip to Italy.

By Robin Berseth, Events and Technology Director, GMS, Inc.

“Thank you so much for granting my wish to go to Italy! The trip was amazing and we had tons of fun! We started in Venice where we got to explore the abundance of streets, shops, and of course, wonderful Italian people. It was tremendously HOT and we found out that this is the hottest it had been in Italy in 130 years!! Being in a city with water canals instead of cars was very cool to see! We also got to tour the palaces and churches and learn about its historical background which was just amazing. My favorite parts of Venice were watching the glass blowing demonstration by one of the professional glass makers from Murano, the Gondola ride down the Grand Canal, and of course the food!

We then got to go on an electric train to Rome. Rome was like a whole other world from Venice! There was SO MUCH to see and only 2 days to see it! As soon as we reached Rome, we hopped on a bus that took us all around the city! When we got off, we walked over to see the famous Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish steps! The next day we toured the brilliant Vatican City!! The history behind all the basilicas and the paintings was mind blowing and the art was just breathtaking. We then went to THE Colosseum, which has been standing sturdy for over 2,000 years!! Later that day we got to see the catacombs. These were underground tombs that dated back to the 3rd century but not found until the 17th century. There are about 60 catacombs, of which only 5 have been found, and we got to see one of these five.

The next day we drove to Pisa to see the remarkable leaning tower. Although we couldn’t get tickets to go inside, the view of the tower from outside was fantastic.Thank you so much for this trip, it was absolutely amazing!!!!!”GMS would like to thank Make-A-Wish Colorado, particularly Jeff Krebs, Associate Director of Philanthropy, for assisting GMS in making this wish come true.

Since 1980, GMS (Grants Management Systems) has designed specialized software with a demonstrated record of success for hundreds of nonprofit and public organizations. For over 30 years GMS has successfully implemented accounting and revolving loan systems for grant and contract recipients.